Sonia advices Karnataka Chief Minister for CBI probe in DK Ravi case

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has advised Karnataka chief minister to order CBI probe for IAS officer DK Ravi’s death. For a past few days, the demand by Ravi’s family members to transfer the investigation to CBI has been gaining hold.

“The Congress president has advised the Karnataka chief minister to hand over the inquiry into IAS officer D K Ravi’s death to CBI,” said Digvijay Singh, who is the party general secretary in charge of Karnataka.

Amidst the raising pressure for CBI probe, Siddaramaiah earlier met the governor Vajubhai Val in Raj Bhawan for the same. Valu was briefed about the developments in the case.

“I have met the governor. I have explained to him the developments in Ravi’s case till date,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after meeting the Governor at Raj Bhavan.

Ravi, who was acclaimed as a fearless IAS officer was known for challenging the big guns in the bad game. He had challenged big lobbies in sand mining in Kolar and Bengaluru and was found hanging from the ceiling fan on March 16 in his official apartment in Karnataka.

Though Police, in absence of any injury marks has termed it as prima facie suicide but the family of Ravi has alleged that the officer was killed.

Kolar, where Ravi had taken on the sand mafia witnessed widespread protest on his death. Ravi had recently taken over as joint commissioner of commercial taxes in Bangalore and was investigating real estate majors and big jewellers for alleged tax evasion.

He was chasing builders in the city who had been evading taxes for years, one of his colleagues told HT after his death. The same source also said that Ravi had collected more than Rs 100 crore in outstanding tax dues from the builders.

Among the real estate companies he pursued were the Embassy Group, partly owned by state home minister KJ George, and Sobha Developers, which has close links with former minister DK Shivakumar, Ravi’s colleagues told HT.